Vote for who will win the 2005 Giro d Italia

[neopro]

Who will win the first of the three big Stage Races in Cycling? Over the past several years the Giro d Italia has produced a lot of drama and the winner has been decided in the closing stages of the three week event. This year should prove no different as the penultimate stage 19 features nearly 6,900 meters of climbing.

The hands on favorite is undoubtedly Damiano Cunego who last year stole the race away from team leader Gilberto Simoni and they will be riding together again in 05 under the Lampre-Caffita banner. Runner up Serhiy Honchar will be riding on the strong team of Domina Vacanze and CSC will also have a very strong presence in the peleton.

For more info:

http://www.cycling4all.com/index.php...t=r05rvi00.php

neopro

[Brock Samson]

Giro d'Italia looking good for 2005

Cunego-Basso battle clearly on the cards

By Tim Maloney, European Editor in Italy


In a flashy live broadcast on RAI-TV from Milan's Mazda Palace, the 88th Giro d'Italia opened to the strains of The Doors "Light My Fire", a homage to 24 year-old Doors fan Damiano Cunego from Verona, who broke on through to the other side last year with his superb win at the Giro.

Although the 87th Giro was supposed to be a battle between 2003 winner Simoni and rival Garzelli, it was the unheralded Cunego, Simoni's Saeco team-mate, who took the final honours. With Marco Pantani dead a little less than a year, many cycling fans have embraced Cunego as the heir apparent in Italian cycling. With RAI-TV lead sportscaster Mimmo Fusco and Italian TV hottie Paola Saluzzi hosting the show, it was non-stop action from all over Italy during the one hour broadcast.

The always positive Cunego evaluated the 2005 Giro route with a smile, and said: "It's a beautiful course; very good for climbers and I think it's good for me." But Lampre-Cafitta's Cunego won't have an easy time repeating as Giro d'Italia champion, as his main rival will be CSC's Ivan Basso.

More determined and confident than ever, Basso showed that he will be ready to win his first Grand Tour in May. "I hope to do even better in the Giro than the last time I rode it five years ago; since then, I have done three Tours [de France] since. So my challenge will be to find the same level of fitness as I had at the Tour last year, more than just beating Cunego."

By no means is the 2005 Giro d'Italia a two-man race. Cunego's Lampre-Cafitta teammate Gilberto Simoni, currently riding the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Australia, will ride "united with me" according to Cunego, while Liquigas leader Garzelli also likes what he sees on the 2005 Giro race map. Discovery Channel's Paolo Savoldelli tipped Basso as the winner, while "il Falco" will be looking to heal up his broken collarbone and snag at least a podium spot in Milano.

The 2005 Giro d'Italia starts in Reggio Calabria on the tippy-toe of Italy's boot along the seafront that legendary Italian poet Gabriele d'Annunzio called the most beautiful kilometer in Italy, opening with a dead-flat, 1.150km sprint along the Strait of Messina. Then for the next few stages, the Giro heads due north up the boot, skipping Napoli and Roma, but heading inland on Stages 5 and 6, with an uphill finish in L'Aquila. The percorso then heads back to the coast into Tuscany, with a finish in Marina di Grosetto on Friday the 13th. Saturday's Stage 7 may see the first drama of the Giro, as the stage from Grosetto to Pistoia over 205km features the steep 5km ascent of the Muro di Sammommé with 30km to race.

The next day is the first race of truth at the 2005 Giro, a relatively flat 41km from Andrea Tafi's hometown of Lamporecchio to Firenze, then two fairly easy transition stages across Italy to the first rest on the Adriatic coast in Ravenna on Tuesday, May 17th. On Wednesday May 18, Stage 10 is a sprinters' stage that goes due north through Padova and finishes in Rossano, hometown of Giro d'Italia sponsor Wilier Triestina bicycles and Selle Italia saddles.

No Giro presentation would be complete
Photo ©: Cyclingnews
The next morning, the riders of the Giro will assemble in Marostica's Piazza degli Scacchi for their own human chess game in the first of four tough stages in the Dolomiti from Thursday to Sunday. First up on May 19th is the dangerous 150km Stage 11, the Giro's first mountain stage from Marostica with three tough passes before the mountaintop finish in Zoldo Alto. Friday May 20 is a transition stage from Alleghe to Rovereto with only one climb up Passo San Pellegrino, but Saturday May 21 is brutal. Stage 13 from Mezzacorona to Ortisei in Val Gardena covers 217km, climbing through the vineyards of the Adige valley over five ascents (Monte San Pietro-Passo Costalunga-Pordoi-Campolongo-Passo delle Erbe) before the final assault up to another mountaintop finish in Ortisei / St.Ulrich in Val Gardena.

Sunday morning May 22 brings on Stage 14 from Egna to Livigno via the mythical Passo dello Stelvio. The potentially decisive 210km stage starts amongst the vineyards of Alto Adige, then heads west towards the long, tough Stelvio, where Cima Coppi (the highest point in the Giro) awaits at 2758m. Then it's a long descent to Bormio, then up the seldom-raced Passo di Foscagno and down to the finish in Livigno. Monday morning is a mostly downhill sprinters' stage to Giro rest day #2 in Lissone, near Milano.

The final phase of the Giro d'Italia begins on Wednesday, May 25th on Stage 16 from Lissone to Varazze over 207km, with the tough ascent of Bric Berton with 60km to go likely to provoke attacks. Thursday's Stage 17 from Varazze to Limone Piemonte finished atop the steep Colle di Tenda, an ascent where Fausto Coppi fulfilled his WW2 military service as bicycle messenger in 1942.

Then Friday and Saturday have two difficult stages on the menu which will likely decide the winner of the 2005 Giro d'Italia. Friday's Stage 18 from Chieri to Torino is an individual time trial of 31km that scales the 6km ascent of the Colle di Superga, before plunging down into Torino for the finish. This difficult stage should make some selection, but riders must be conservative because Saturday's penultimate stage of the 2005 Giro d'Italia is extremely difficult.

The 190km Stage 19 from Savigliano to Sestriere through the Valli Olimpiche) commences with a long ascent to Sestriere, then the well-known descent to Susa where the Colle delle Finestre begins. The impossibly narrow Finestre ascent is an 18.5km mutha that climbs to 2178m., with the last 8.5km on a gravel road like something out of the Giro d'Italia from Coppi and Bartali's day half a century ago. After the summit, there is a 10km descent to Pourrieres, then back to Sestriere for the final mountain climb of the 2005 Giro d'Italia. All that remains is Sunday's Stage 20 from Albese Con Cassano to Milano, a sprinters stage over 121km.

2005 Giro d'Italia stages
Saturday May 7 - Prologue TT: Reggio Calabria, 1,150 m
Sunday May 8 - Stage 1: Reggio Calabria - Tropea, 208 km
Monday May 9 - Stage 2: Catanzaro Lido - S.M. del Cedro, 177 km
Tuesday May 10 - Stage 3: Diamante - Giffoni Valle Piana, 210 km
Wednesday May 11 - Stage 4: Giffoni Valle Piana - Frosinone, 197 km
Thursday May 12 - Stage 5: Celano - L'Aquila, 215 km
Friday May 13 - Stage 6: Viterbo - Marina Di Grosseto, 154 km
Saturday May 14 - Stage 7: Grosseto - Pistoia, 205 km
Sunday May 15 - Stage 8: Lamporecchio - Firenze ITT, 41,5 km
Monday May 16 - Stage 9: Firenze - Ravenna, 139 km
Tuesday May 17 - Rest Day-Ravenna
Wednesday May 18 - Stage 10: Ravenna - Rossano Veneto, 212 km
Thursday May 19 - Stage 11: Marostica - Zoldo Alto, 150 km
Friday May 20 - Stage 12: Alleghe - Rovereto, 178 km
Saturday May 21 - Stage 13: Mezzocorona - Ortisei, 217 km
Sunday May 22 - Stage 14: Egna - Livigno, 210 km
Monday May 23 - Stage 15: Livigno - Lissone, 207 km
Tuesday May 24 - Rest Day - Lissone
Wednesday May 25 - Stage 16: Lissone - Varazze, 207 km
Thursday May 26 - Stage 17: Varazze - Limone Piemonte (Colle di Tenda), 194 km
Friday May 27 - Stage 18: Chieri - Torino, ITT 31 km
Saturday May 28 - Stage 19: Savigliano - Sestriere (Le Valli Olimpiche), 190 km

[cyclist2173]

Everybody knows Cioppolini is the man! J/K......I'm gonna say Landis, because he really looks good right now and I bleed Red/White/Blue. But, what do I know...I'm just a MTB'r.

What I am interested in is to see is if Lance can rebound in time for the TDF?

[forbodybuilders]

wow..how much km ..o my god

[neopro]

Originally Posted by forbodybuilders

wow..how much km ..o my god

Over 3000km and the race will remain highly contested until the last week.

Ivan Basso will make it a very close race but in the poll I voted for Damiano Cunego to repeat.

Who do you like forbb?

neopro

[Brock Samson]

Even though I really like Cunego, Basso's TdF experience and his strong team will help him win the Giro. If Basso fails to perform well, Cunego will dominate again.

[Brock Samson]

Lampre's Cunego has yet to record a victory this season but was ninth in last Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege race and looks to be hitting fine form when it matters.

Although destined to ride his maiden Tour de France this summer, the Italian's main season objective is the defence of his Giro crown, in preparation of which he will be riding in Romandy.

But surrounded by team-mates like Daniele Bennati, third in this month's Ghent-Wevelgem, Gilberto Simoni, winner at Mont-Faron on the Paris-Nice, and the handy Russian Evgeni Petrov, Cunego will go into the race with high hopes for a podium finish.

[neopro]

Originally Posted by cyclist2173

Everybody knows Cioppolini is the man! J/K......I'm gonna say Landis, because he really looks good right now and I bleed Red/White/Blue. But, what do I know...I'm just a MTB'r.

What I am interested in is to see is if Lance can rebound in time for the TDF?

Amore e Vita boss Ivano Fanini has said retired sprint star Mario Cipollini is still bound by contract to the Italian team. Cipollini, who started his career in 1985 with Fanini's team and had vowed to finish it in their colours, announced he was quitting professional cycling on Tuesday.

But Fanini claims he has unfinished business with the sprint ace. "If Mario wants to stop racing, I respect his decision," said Fanini. "But he knows he has to meet us. Our agreement states that in case he defaults on his contract, he will owe us €600,000. And I don't intend to renounce this.

"If Mario wants to come back and finish his career with us next year, I'll be happy to open the doors of the team for him and do everything to prepare a high level squad, built around him. On the other hand, I don't intend to renounce that money: a figure that Cipollini can surely pay."

[neopro]

ANZÈRE, Apr 29 (CP) - The Italian Damiano Cunego of Lampre-Caffita was the strongest in a sprint of five to win the fourth stage of the Tour de Romandie. The Colombian Santiago Botero takes the lead in the general classification.

The third stage started in Aigle, where the UCI headquarters are located, to end 147 kilometers later in Anzère, but not without having to survive several serious climbs.

Joost Posthuma dominated the stage throughout a large part, riding ahead of the pack, to be joined by fellow countryman and Rabobank teammate Erik Dekker with 44km to go.

Dekker was having a hard time keeping up with Posthuma, who won a stage in this year's Paris-Nice, but managed to close the gap every time when descending. With 35km left, he even tried to attack his teammate, who started to tire visibly.

The two slowed down and were caught by a pursuing group of three: Bellotti of Crédit Agricole, Zampieri of Phonak and Saunier Duval's Ruben Lobato Elvira, who soon attacked and found himself ahead of the four other leaders.

Lobato did not get far and was reeled in by Zampieri, Bellotti and Dekker, while Joost Posthuma struggled between them and the peloton. Race leader Alessandro Petacchi meanwhile, was having his usual difficulties in the mountains and was set to lose his leader's jersey.

Posthuma managed to find his way back to the other four, but at the start of the final ascent to Anzère, both Rabobank riders had to let go. Next to be dropped was Bellotti, while Lobato and Zampieri decided the pace up front.

Of those two, Lobato Elvira had the strongest legs and Zampieri was forced to join up with Bellotti in an attempt to catch the Saunier Duval rider, who had a chance to take the lead in the general classification.

Phonak had different plans and led the chase in the peloton, in order to put Oscar Pereiro in a good position to reconquer his leader's jersey. Their pace forced many riders to let go and only a small group remained to eventually catch Lobato Elvira with four kilometers left to ride.

Lampre's Damiano Cunego was found in the new leading group of six, as well as Denis Menchov, Santiago Botero and Manuel Beltran. The remaining two were Marco Fertonani of Domina Vacanze and Cofidis rider Daniel Atienza.

In the final sprint of five, as Fertonani had been dropped in the last 500 meters, Cunego was by far the strongest, finishing ahead of Denis Menchov and Santiago Botero. The Colombian makes a strong comeback and takes the lead in the general classification.

[neopro]

By Andrew Hood
VeloNews European correspondent
This report filed May 1, 2005
David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde will be spending much of May plying the roads of Italy after being selected as part of the nine-man Team CSC squad for the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

The two Americans will be riding in support of Team CSC captain Ivan Basso in the hunt for the maglia rosa in the season's first three-week tour which kicks off with a short prologue May 7 in Reggio Calabria. It will be the first Giro for both riders.

"I think we have a strong team and I know for sure that all our riders are extremely motivated to go all out for Ivan," said Team CSC boss Bjarne Riis. "No doubt the competition in the Giro will be tough, but we are well-prepared and everyone knows their role in this team."

Both Zabriskie and Vande Velde are coming off strong performances in the Tour de Georgia and will play a key role in support Basso in what's sure to be an exciting match-up against defending champion Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Caffita) and the top Italian stars.

The pair joined Team CSC in the off-season, with Zabriskie leaving U.S. Postal Service after coming off a strong autumn that included a stage win in the Vuelta a España and fifth in the road world championships while Vande Velde returned to the Tour de France last year with Liberty Seguros.

"Ivan is a great leader. He's a really nice guy and that makes you even more motivated to ride for him," Vande Velde said earlier this season. "My first goal is to have a great Giro. I just want to start riding the way I know I can ride, ride great for the team and ride great in the Giro."

Rounding out the team will be young Dane Brian Vandborg, a winner of a stage at the Tour de Georgia, Michael Blaudzun (Denmark), Giovanni Lombardi (Italy), Peter Luttenberger (Austria), Andrea Peron (Italy) and Fränk Schleck (Luxemburg). Vandborg got the tip ahead of Jakob Piil, who is continuing to struggle with injuries earlier this season.

"I'm not ready to take any risks with Jakob regarding the Tour de France," Riis explained. "In the Tour he is a very important part of the team, and by selecting him to the Giro in his current shape, his chances of being on form for the Tour are not good. We also need riders who are 100 percent fit and ready to help Ivan win the Giro."

[neopro]

This is going to be a very good Giro this year!!!

Start list is available at this link for the Giro

www.cycling4all.com

OLN will show it on Sat's and Sun's at 5pm

[neopro]

Who will win the prolouge??

Possibly Bradley McGee?

neopro

[Gman1524]

Damiano Cunego